Syracuse University Relay for Life raises over $170,000 in a fight against cancer

Between 6 p.m. Saturday through 5 a.m. Sunday, over 2,000 participants circled, slept, played, celebrated and fundraised in the Carrier Dome. In Syracuse University’s annual Relay for Life, the Loud House witnessed bake sales and nail painting, video game tournaments and singing groups. It saw cancer survivors and friends of survivors, remembrances and glimpses of a healthier future. It was a night of walking, speaking, dancing and activism. And as of Monday, according to the event’s website, $170,964.67 was raised.

Senior co-chair Kelsie Bouchard is most impressed by Relay’s ability to bring the unimaginable magnitude of cancer and contain it (at least temporarily) in the Dome.

“To have so many people in a single environment all affected by a single cause is both eye opening and motivating,” Bouchard said.

Bouchard and a committee team at Syracuse have been strenuously and perpetually working to make this incredible event possible. The preparation process is ongoing, as several steps, proponents and jobs are necessary in making Relay for Life a reality.

“Preparing for the 2011 event began as soon as 2010 finished,” Bouchard said.

Relay for Life involves meticulous planning, fundraising efforts and a great deal of coordination. This year, the process included creating a “WTF - (Win the Fight)” brand, recruiting participants to lead and work in subcommittees, and planning advocating and fundraising events to promote and ensure the success of Relay. Bouchard believes that the entire process is made possible through the individual work of each committee, participants’ commitments to their jobs and responsibilities and the passion behind all those involved.

“There are so many moving parts to Relay, but they all work together,” Bouchard said. “Without them, the balance is completely thrown off.”

According to Relay for Life’s official website, each year more than 3.5 million people in the United States participate. And while events throughout the country have the same major components (a Survivors Lap, the Luminaria Ceremony, and the Fight Back Ceremony), each Relay has its own distinguishing traditions. Bouchard feels that SU is unique in that its Relay is almost entirely a student effort.

“What I think is coolest about our Relay is that it’s 98% driven by students,” Bouchard said. “We plan it. We promote it. We pull it off.”

The event itself, Bouchard said, is particularly powerful because cancer directly and indirectly affects a wide spectrum of people.

“Experiencing the energy at Relay, coupled with the ways I have been affected by cancer, are the primary reasons why I got involved,” Bouchard said.

Relay for Life is most effective because it has the ability to draw both those involved and those unfamiliar with the devastation of cancer. Putting that large number of people in the Carrier Dome allows one to see how widespread the disease has become.

“I think different people react differently to Relay based on how cancer has personally affected them,” Bouchard said. “But in general, someone who has never been to the event can expect to recognize how many people have been affected by cancer.”

With 250 teams having participated and donations still coming in, this year’s Relay for Life is proving to be one of SU’s most successful runs. Most important, this past weekend was one of awareness and hopefully, said Bouchard, prevention. It was one of many steps to eventually beating cancer.

“Taking action now, responding and fighting back against cancer, makes the world a better place for so many generations,” Bouchard said. “It helps our grandparents and our parents, it’s important for people our own age, and it’s critical for our children and their children.”